Running After Kansas by Oregano

After years of hostility and exchanged angry words, it would be safe to say that Lorelai Gilmore and Jess Mariano had a peculiar relationship and history. His showing up suddenly to Stars Hollow at the worst opportune time was his signature move, and that always led to ugliness between them. But after years and years of the latter's absence, and her old age (although she'd die before admitting that aloud), she had already forgotten about most of her daughter's old boyfriends. Jess Mariano was no different. He would probably be the most influential to Rory, but he certainly wasn't the one who stuck out for her.

And as his talents never seemed to dull, he did it again. He showed up at the worst opportune time.

So she stood there, contemplating her next move. Lorelai studied the man who stood before her, and while she did hate that stupid trait of his that always seemed to make a mess of things, she could not deny his maturity. Years ago, she had witnessed it for a bit, just as he was getting it all together, but did not say a thing, because Rory's happiness came before anything. Lorelai suddenly cringed at the words she had thrown at him then. So childish. Jess Mariano had always been a worthy opponent.

Suddenly, the image of Jess Mariano wasn't so blurry in her mind anymore. She smiled, "Jess. Are you trying to ease yourself away from this place little by little? Like Little Albert but backwards?"

His brows dug into his forehead. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Lorelai Gilmore had always been one of the town crazies. If anyone were to make a brochure for Stars Hollow, Lorelai Gilmore would most likely be in there, be it image or quote. Lorelai always had something ridiculous to say. Even Luke was aware of that fact. And now, as she stood there, earlier comment not understood by anyone, even herself, "Like Little Albert but backwards?" was surely going to be one of the said quotes.

"Are you the one who fired Nicholai?"

"How could I fire him? I haven't even hired him," he replied in that nonchalant-but-teasing manner. He was turning too much into Luke Danes, and frankly, one embittered (but wonderful) old man was enough to last Stars Hollow for a few more decades. "Besides," he added with a thumb at Luke, "old man Danes told me not to hire the kid."

Luke suddenly went paler than paper, sinking into the chair behind him. He glared at Jess for a moment for snitching on him, but quickly recovered when Lorelai spoke, "Why would you turn away Nicholai? He's such a sweet kid, and he loves you so much, Luke."

He stood up, and made a beeline towards Lorelai, grabbed her arm and steered her into the storage room. It seemed to be the best place for secret conversations, lately. He'd probably need to shove the pickles over to put in a couch and a nice coffee table, with the rate things were going. How many times had he been in there in one day, anyway?

Once inside, Luke's raspy and hurried voice jumped at Lorelai, "Do you want Nicholai working with Jess Mariano? What do you think his mother would say?"

However, Lorelai completely missed the point, once again, and demonstrated this by asking, "Jess Mariano is working in the diner again?"

"He owns it!"

Lorelai's eyes couldn't be wider, "Shut up!" That made Luke shudder and start at the same time. Only Lorelai, he sighed. "How did that happen? I thought you were retiring!"

"I was! I am!"

"Then why are you still here? Go to Florida and play the ponies, Luke!" she exclaimed. A picture of Luke in a palm tree-decorated shirt and beach shorts, wearing a bucket hat suddenly popped into Lorelai's head. She smiled at that. "I think Jess has changed, Luke," she admitted softly. "There this air of maturity in him, and... he hasn't set anything on fire yet, has he?" True, Lorelai was still a bit bitter towards Jess and his actions to Rory, but it had been twenty years! Vietnam was already a first-world superpower. There was a discovery for an alternative to gasoline. Luke finally got rid of the cap. And if time could change Luke's wardrobe, even in the slightest manner, she was all but rooting for some sort of grown-up change in Jess Mariano.

But Luke was certainly stuck in a time where Jess was still that hoodlum, drawing dirty pictures on his bathroom mirror and smoking like a chimney in the apartment. "He hasn't set anything on fire because I've been sitting out there for eight Goddamn hours, watching him like a hawk!"

Lorelai chuckled at Luke's actions, "Oh, my God, Luke! You should be arrested for stalking! Jess could get a restraining order against you for that!"

"Really?"

"Of course not! Do you think I know the laws of my country, besides having the freedom to say, 'Jackass' in public?" Lorelai sighed at Luke and touched his arm lightly, "You have to get over this. It's been years since you saw Jess. I thought you were always willing to give people a chance."

Only Lorelai Gilmore could hold such a power over Lucas Danes. With a small flit of her fingers, he would instantly be dragged to some stupid PTA meeting to talk about ketchup, or a flower-arranging class (that was a total nightmare in on itself). Now, as she stood before him, her eyes wondering, Lorelai once again had Luke wrapped around her finger. "I had never expected that to come out from you," he said gruffly, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Which only further proves my point that people change."

And so, after much consideration, a long conversation and a lot of beer with Luke, Jess called Nicholai Stratt, informing the boy that he could work at the diner starting the next day. Who would have thought that Lorelai Gilmore would be taking Jess Mariano's side of things?

"Order's up, Nicholai."

Nicholai Stratt looked up from his spot on the counter and smiled. The feel of the apron around his waist was something wonderful for him. It was that tight, almost military feeling of being cool. He held the power to serve coffee and go behind the counter. He'd never been behind the counter before, and now he was, wiping it with a rag. He felt like a diner god.

"Okay, Mr. Mariano!"

Jess smirked at the boy's eagerness to work. He had never been an eager kid, especially when he used to work here for Luke. However, what was there to be excited about when one was working for Luke? Even Caesar couldn't answer that. Looking at the boy work, Jess actually liked this Nicholai kid. He was hardworking, respectful, and hell, far, far away from the road to destruction that he himself probably mapped when he was Nicholai's age. Jess Mariano was like the Magellan of The Road. He was royal cartographer, for God's sake.

As Nicholai made his way back to the counter after serving a couple their pancakes, Jess decided that it would be a good chance to get to know the kid. It was better than watching the people eat, and a hell of a lot less creepy. He leaned his back on the counter and crossed his arms in front of him, "So, Nicholai, how long have you been here in Stars Hollow?"

The boy, surprised at his boss's sudden personality, raised his eyebrows at the question. "I just moved here a few months ago. I'm from Hartford."

"You go to Stars Hollow High?"

Nicholai shook his head, "No, Chilton." And when he said that, this twang of memory shook within Jess. Chilton. He visibly twitched at the mention of the luxurious school, and the person who was put along with that same schemata.

"Good. Stars Hollow High was like hell on earth to me," he said, trying to cover up his twitch. He tried to look lazy and bored with the world, gripping the edge of the cabinet behind him. He glanced at the giant window looking though Taylor's ice cream shop, wondering why Luke never covered it up.

Nicholai was again surprised at his information, "You used to live here?"

Jess lifted a shoulder, "A couple of years." It looked so invasive, having that huge chunk of glass on the wall. He could see the employees, attending to every detail in the shop, arranging the candy with precision. It was like watching Taylor clones at work. "So what made you move here, of all places?"

The boy was silent for a while. He played with the hem of his apron, the sudden diner god feeling gone. Nicholai looked down at his sneakers and leaned on the cabinet beside his boss. He was never comfortable with the reason for moving here, but he didn't want to be one of those angst-ridden kids with nothing but themselves to think about. Maybe he got it from his mom, but Nicholai Stratt preferred ignoring the situation, rather than facing it. And right now, Jess Mariano just forced him into it.

"My dad was shot during a drug bust."

Jess's eyes widened and he whipped his head towards the boy, completely caught off guard. The big glass window was immediately forgotten. He had totally bought Nicholai's energetic actions, not realising the pain that he was feeling at that very moment, as he stood beside his boss, the memory of his father looming over him. Hell, and here Jess was, thinking that he was the most dysfunctional character in Stars Hollow.